Bay Path University

Bay Pathway Spring/Summer 2019 I took part in a class trip to the UMass Memorial Medical Center and I was so impressed with the areas of specialties it offered, and it was a teaching hospital. When a position in the ED opened up, I applied. I feel very lucky to work here." The UMass Memorial Medical Center is the clinical partner for the UMass Medical School, and the largest health care system in Central Massachusetts. For Nathaniel "Than" Moore, it was a clinical rotation in an ED that convinced him this was his calling. "Initially, when I entered the PA program at Bay Path, I thought I would go into pediatrics or orthopedic medicine. But when I did my ED rotation at MaineGeneral Medical Center, I found it was the perfect blend of surgery, diagnostics, and other areas of medicine. I would be a master of all crafts." Than applied and was accepted to a position at the University of Vermont Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center and partner with the University of Vermont College of Medicine. The Center sees over 65,000 patients in a calendar year and serves a population area of over one million people. Carly Muniz's journey to the ED also began in her clinical rotations as a graduate student. "While I enjoyed aspects of all rotations, I realized on my first day of emergency medicine rotation that it was the best specialty for me. Emergency med- icine is fast paced, requires technical skills, a vast knowledge of medicine in pediatrics to adolescents along with the elderly population, the ability to establish patient rapport within sec- onds and the aptitude to integrate limited information rapidly. Preceptors commented that my strengths included adapting rapidly to change, instilling confidence and trust with patients, having great communication and teamwork skills, including dealing with challenging personalities. This is why I chose Emergency Medicine!" Carly now works at the Holyoke Medical Center ED which was recently renovated in 2017. The state-of-the-art ED also has a Fast Track section which focuses on quick turn arounds—less than two hours—for patients with non-life threatening conditions. The EDs of each of these Bay Path PAs may be strik- ingly different, but Ernest, Than and Carly each point to a positive feature that defines their roles— autonomy. Although they all work on teams and report to a doctor on call, they are expected to be independent and confident in their decision making. "The ED quickly developed my skills as a PA," said Than. "With each new patient experience, I gained skills that attributed to my diverse skillset. There were cases that I became more comfortable treating. However, given the chaotic, humbling environment, I always knew when to turn to my fellow physician and PA colleagues with questions." Want to work in the ED? Here are some of the qualities you need. Confidence is only one of the qualities a PA needs to succeed in the ED. "It's so important to be a strong communicator," according to Ernest. "Often, we are the first person the patient meets when they are brought through the door. We have to develop an instant relationship with the patient and communi- cate with them appropriately." Meet Carly Muniz G'16 Carly attended Our Lady of the Elms College, graduating with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. In 2018, Carly was employee of the year for the ED at Holyoke Medical Center. To read more about Carly's journey visit the Bay Pathway Online at www.baypath.edu/baypathway. ere is no doubt physician assistants help shoulder the pressure of increased patient volume in EDs.

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